its a definite skill, something that's apparently no longer taught.

but in reality it's just way to connect the letter to one another, as you deduced, and i've always really enjoyed writing like this.

but I do have to agree with you, the farther back you go, the more difficult it is to read. the version I learned in school is far simpler in *some* aspects, than it used to be.

also, for example, leonardo used to write BACKwards, and mirrored, so you had to either know how to read that, or hold it up to a mirror and then reverse it, to even figure out what was going on... :D